Feelin' fat right now...

[kryptychyck]

but I know I am not fat by any means. I am going to vent here because I know some of you will understand where I am coming from. I need to get this out because my friends who are not into working out or who are not in shape do not want to hear it. I can understand that though. But, even if I am looking good and in shape, I still have my fat and lazy days and need some support too! Thank goodness for this site!

I am training for a bodybuilding show later this summer and I have been working really hard and eating according to plan to support all the work. I have a trainer/coach so I think everythign is going right so far.

Anyway, the past two weeks I have had a big project at work - finally done on Tuesday and I had to work long hours AND still managed to get most of my weight work done
(early morning). I skipped my evening cardio sessions though because I was just dead tired at the end of a long day. Then I got sick - run down and a sore throat for a few days. I finally got back to my evening cardio on Tuesday night. It felt great. I had a great chest workout yesterday morning, but then I completely crashed by 4 pm. I mean, my eyes were literally closing. I was ready to PASS OUT!!! Seriously, right at my desk.

Needless to say, I skipped the cardio last night. Today is supposed to be my day off, but I am thinking I will run after work instead. I slept in today and boy was I sleeping heavy!

Another thing that is bugging me - my diet. I don't eat junk so that is not the issue. I eat clean only. I bought some peanut butter the other night because I was craving it and I also bought my assortment of nuts for another recipe. I have eaten half the jar of PB already AND probably close to half the bag of pecan and almonds (each). I feel like I am pigging out. (Even though I know there is nothing wrong with nuts and PB!)

I like my meal plan. It has a lot of variety and it is tasty and I eat a TON of food throughout the day. So I can;t for the life of me figure out why I am so darn hungry - especially with skipping most of my cardio work the past week and a half.

I am also DEAD tired (except for today, which is nice) when usually I am raring to go.

What the heck is going on here?

Thanks for listening. I am hoping it is just a bad case of pms (due Feb 9 , sorry tmi) and this feeling passes. I have been doing really well up until now.

 

[NY25]

You're working too hard. Plus, if you're training for bodybuilding I presume you're doing a lot of weight work. That will exhaust you as your body needs to recoup to rebuild/build the muscle you are working. Hence your craving for dense proteins (PB and nuts) and your need for sleep. This is actually perfectly normal. Just be sure you're listening to your body and get the sleep you need. Maybe sleep in one day this weekend.

 

[kryptychyck]

Thanks!

You're working too hard. Plus, if you're training for bodybuilding I presume you're doing a lot of weight work. That will exhaust you as your body needs to recoup to rebuild/build the muscle you are working. Hence your craving for dense proteins (PB and nuts) and your need for sleep. This is actually perfectly normal. Just be sure you're listening to your body and get the sleep you need. Maybe sleep in one day this weekend.

Thank you so much! I was thinking that I needed a break too, but I also did not want to derail my progress. Yes, I am lifting some good weight and for a long duration. It is tough. I am glad that I like the work mentally, but I think physically I am just wearing out.

 

[AYLE09]

Hi there- I just wanted to chime in because I feel like I could have written that post yesterday! I was so tired, sore throat, starving and felt bloated. It's really a bit funny when you think about it- some us strive for such a healthy lifestyle that when what we really need for our health is rest we just can't let up and listen! I knew that I needed a night on the couch last night after work... instead I did double wave pyramid! I'm feeling better today thank goodness, but I probably should have given myself last night off

eat the PB... get some extra rest... i'm sure your mind and body will thank you for it!

 

[juliem]

You are burning the candle at both ends and it is catching up with you. Working long hours, training hard and not enough rest all combine to make you hungrier and of course if you don't feel your best you aren't going to feel you look your best either. When I trained for my marathon I would work all day and some days come home and run 20 miles. I didn't lose a single pound - go figure! I must have been eating more because I was tired and worn out. Now that you recognize that you need to slow down take the time to be good to yourself and you will be back to feeling like your old self again.

 

[jdawnc]

Recovery Week

I agree with the above posts, take some time off and rest and enjoy it! We all have those days, I know after about three weeks of a heavy weight rotation I am lion to live with Indulge yourself and get back on the horse on Monday!

You will probably see great gains after a few days of resting a relaxation.

Good Luck with the up coming competition!

 

[pinkquinn]

I think I can relate to how you feel, I eat clean, work hard, and I have2 kids and baby.

Sometimes I am just the walking dead...cranky walking dead. I wish I had someone here to shake me and say "take a couple of days off and then hit the gym"

I get in the mind set that I just have to WORK WORK WORD to see results. Sometimes I need to REST REST REST.

Good luck

 

[kryptychyck]

You guys are right!

I agree - I think a break is just what I need. I will do that. I think you are right too - that I will get back to it even stronger after a good recovery. I am going to discuss this with my trainer this weekend.

 

[kariev]

You are burning the candle at both ends and it is catching up with you. Working long hours, training hard and not enough rest all combine to make you hungrier and of course if you don't feel your best you aren't going to feel you look your best either. When I trained for my marathon I would work all day and some days come home and run 20 miles. I didn't lose a single pound - go figure! I must have been eating more because I was tired and worn out. Now that you recognize that you need to slow down take the time to be good to yourself and you will be back to feeling like your old self again.

I agree with the above posting. Your body is trying to tell you something and you need to listen. The mental stress from work and the physical stress from increased weight work probably has your endocrine system on overdrive releasing mass amounts of stress hormones. You need to take a step back. I don't think doing skipped cardio work on your rest day is going to benefit you at all. Take the rest day. Are you eating enough? When is the competition? I've never done a comp before but i do know that timeing is everything when it comes to nutrtion and exercise. You don't want to increase intensity while cutting back on cals too soon or you will not make it until the comp day. Have you discussed this with your trainer to get opinions? Mabe your not eating enough right now. Overtraining and adrenal fatigue are very common so its very important to get adequate rest and nutrtion to support your body. Not sure if this helps much but it just sounds to me like you are doing too much and your body is trying to tell you enough!

 

[Stephanie0523]

Could you be pregnant? Also, it may be that your vitamin D deficient... Just a couple of thoughts.

 

[kryptychyck]

Could you be pregnant? Also, it may be that your vitamin D deficient... Just a couple of thoughts.

Hahah - No, I don't think I am pregnant. But that thought did cross my mind. I don't think so though. I take Vit D supplements, but that does not mean they are actually getting absorbed either.

 

[kryptychyck]

Good point

I agree with the above posting. Your body is trying to tell you something and you need to listen. The mental stress from work and the physical stress from increased weight work probably has your endocrine system on overdrive releasing mass amounts of stress hormones. You need to take a step back. I don't think doing skipped cardio work on your rest day is going to benefit you at all. Take the rest day. Are you eating enough? When is the competition? I've never done a comp before but i do know that timeing is everything when it comes to nutrtion and exercise. You don't want to increase intensity while cutting back on cals too soon or you will not make it until the comp day. Have you discussed this with your trainer to get opinions? Mabe your not eating enough right now. Overtraining and adrenal fatigue are very common so its very important to get adequate rest and nutrtion to support your body. Not sure if this helps much but it just sounds to me like you are doing too much and your body is trying to tell you enough!

I am definitely going to skip cardio tonight. I think you guys are right. It is not going to help. The competition is in August so there is plenty of time to lean out. I am trying build muscle right now. Here is my daily meal plan. Now, I try to eat all of this in one day, but sometimes it is hard to get it all in. I must confess that weekends are a bit of a struggle since I am out of my weekday routine and I miss some of my meals.

Workout Days
Breakfast one - Protein shake

Weight work

Breakfast two - Protein shake and apple

Breakfast three - 6 to 8 egg whites (6 on upper body days/8 on lower body days) 1 yolk, about 6 - 8 cups of vegetables, 2 - 3 power pancakes (special recipe, 2 on upper body days and 3 on lower body days) with sugar free (maltitol) syrup, 1 small orange, vitamins

Snack 1 - 3 oz of chicken, 1 cup of green vegetables

Lunch - 5 oz of fish 1/2 cup of bulgur, 2 cups of green vegetables, couple of tablespoons of avacado, vitamins

Snack - 3 oz chicken, 1 cup of green vegetables

Cardio

Snack - protein shake

Dinner - 2 bowls of lean beef chili with peppers, onions, tomatoes, pinto beans, kidney beans, and black beans

If I am still hungry, I will have a couple of tables spoons of PB, some nuts, or a few more power pancakes.

On rest days I eat basically the same thing except no protein shakes and I reduce the eggs down to 4 whites and 1 yolk and 1 power pancake at breakfast. Everything else generally stays the same.

Here are my vitamins:
Multi-vitamin formulated by my doctor
Selenium (extra booster)
Vitamin D (extra booster)
Biotin (extra booster)
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Glucosamine Chondroitin MSM
Fish Oil
Flax Oil
Gymnema
Calcium Citrate

Maybe I have had a good bit of muscle growth and this is not working anymore. I will call my trainer tonight and see what she recommends. She is a former competitor. Sha also advocates rest and listening to the body. I suppose I am being my stubborn self and trying to "do it all".

I appreciate all the feedback and the perspectives!

 

[kariev]

mabe replace the pre weight training protein shake with real food like peanut butter toast or something and also replace the afternoon shake with real food. the body does better with real food. you do have plenty of time to lean out. if your trying to build now you shouldn't have to be doing much cardio. cardio will be your tool to lean you out when the time comes (as well as diet). If you are doing a fair amount of cardio now, your going to have to add so much more at the end to make a difference in your body. I say do less cardio now, focus on just weight training and when its like 14 weeks out, start adding the cardio back in. Do you know how many cals you are eating per day?

 

[kryptychyck]

more good points

mabe replace the pre weight training protein shake with real food like peanut butter toast or something and also replace the afternoon shake with real food. the body does better with real food. you do have plenty of time to lean out. if your trying to build now you shouldn't have to be doing much cardio. cardio will be your tool to lean you out when the time comes (as well as diet). If you are doing a fair amount of cardio now, your going to have to add so much more at the end to make a difference in your body. I say do less cardio now, focus on just weight training and when its like 14 weeks out, start adding the cardio back in. Do you know how many cals you are eating per day?

That is another good point. I am going to discuss that with my trainer too. I think the reason I do the cardio is that I have insulin resistance and it is really hard for me to take off fat - despite clean eating. I gain fat instantaneously it seems. The cardio helps make my cells more sensitive to insulin. I do like your plan. I just wonder if I would have an issue with having IR. I have a problem with sugar and all carbohydrates - it makes me sick to eat both! I have just the two pieces of fruit and the pancakes in the morning and I seem to be ok with that. But I get nauseous after lunch when I eat the bulgar and very sleepy. I do like the idea of eating real food before a workout though and after cardio.

I have no idea how many calories I am taking in per day. My menu is listed above, but I would have to research and add it back up. I am thinking I might be eating about 2000 - 2500. The pancakes are very dense and made from various whole grains.

 

[Jonezie]

I bought some peanut butter the other night because I was craving it and I also bought my assortment of nuts for another recipe. I have eaten half the jar of PB already AND probably close to half the bag of pecan and almonds (each). I feel like I am pigging out. (Even though I know there is nothing wrong with nuts and PB!)

Becky...do we need to come over there and stage a nut intervention?!?

All kidding aside, you've received some great advice and support here so I won't be redundant. But I SO understand how you feel! And am 100% convinced you'll feel back to your fabulous self very soon. It's just around the corner...you watch.

Jonezie

 

[pinkquinn]

I have a hard time losing fat due to carb sensitivity. I read on figureathelete.com that some one had to drop carbs to zero and do moderate workouts to drop fat.

I am the same way. It relieved me to know someone else had that problem...and does the same thing to lean out.

I am in bind now too. I added brown rice to my diet to train, and I think its turning on me starving tired puffy!

I am tossing around in my head wheather I should workout or not right now. I have a bit of a head cold and am whooped, then again sometimes you still have a great work out.....listening to your body is tougher than I thought

 

[Boingo1]

Two things that pop out at me , besides what everyone else has said. Lack of sleep can make you hungry(ier), too. If you're TIRED and not getting good sleep, your body craves something, and since it can't have sleep, it turns to food.

The second thing is , are you getting in enough fat during the day? Your menu looks very low fat to me, and I think healthy fats give you feelings of fullness for a longer time.

 

[RapidBreath]

Sounds like not quite enough fat. And, well, you kind of took care of it with the peanut butter!

Its probably a side effect of the level of stress coupled with the lack of sleep. I attended a lecture with a sleep specialist from UC Davis, and he said that people can get by without one thing, either sleep or food, but not both. Something has to give, and you were tired and you are hungry from preparing for your fitness show. And you are sick and you haven't had enough rest.

See, its just one too many things. It may pass with your period. Don't worry, you will probably be back to normal in a week.

 

[RapidBreath]

But I get nauseous after lunch when I eat the bulgar and very sleepy. I do like the idea of eating real food before a workout though and after cardio.

Take your gymnema with your bulgar. Also, have you considered that you might be wheat intolerant? Ever tried having cooked buckwheat instead? It is high in protein and actually a berry.

I'm IR too. And I recently learned I was gluten intolerant. Just a thought. A lot of people with a food allergy experience exhaustion/tiredness after eating the offending food.

 

[kryptychyck]

Wow!

Take your gymnema with your bulgar. Also, have you considered that you might be wheat intolerant? Ever tried having cooked buckwheat instead? It is high in protein and actually a berry.

I'm IR too. And I recently learned I was gluten intolerant. Just a thought. A lot of people with a food allergy experience exhaustion/tiredness after eating the offending food.

No I had no idea - I am going to try that though. That is a really good point. Thank you for sharing. I think I will do some research on foods that don't aggravate gluten intolerance and give that a shot too.